Research Focus Areas
The Ho laboratory has two major research focuses:
- Pathogenesis and translational research of rheumatoid arthritis. Ho lab is investigating how genetic/environmental risk factors contribute to the disease process of rheumatoid arthritis. The lab is also identifying biomarkers and developing bioassays for predicting response to various treatments, hoping to bring personalized medicine to rheumatoid arthritis.
- Roles of protein citrullination in regulating the function of immune and non-immune cells. Citrullination is a unique form of post-translational modification of proteins, and aberrant citrullination is associated with several major risk factors of rheumatoid arthritis. Ho lab is investigating how citrullination affects the function of immune cells, such as lymphocytes, and non-immune cells, such as fibroblasts, in the context of autoimmune diseases and organ development.
